The unsettled terrain was grueling. Dense brush clawed at his suit and cape. Blooming trees swayed gently in the breeze.

Vader noticed none of it.

He ran.

He ran and wondered what exactly he thought he was doing.

Well...he was running. It was a curious experience. Even now, he wasn't wholly comfortable in the mechanical suit. And his duel with Obi-Wan was 3 years ago. Of course, the medics had assured him he would return to his peak level of performance and skill. Maybe they couldn't tell, but he hadn't fully recovered. He knew he was one step slower; slightly below where he needed to be. The sensation was maddening.

He couldn't take a quick breath. He couldn't take a deep breath. Sometimes he felt that everything he did revolved around the automated actions of his lungs. And though his cybernetic legs afforded him extra height, they weren't helping him move any faster now.

But it was his vision that troubled him most. The images filtered through the mask resembled a holo-projection. Various upgrades in his sight hadn't stopped the outside world from appearing...fake. 3 years, and he hadn't accepted this surreal existence as his reality.

Little matter. Where his body had failed him, the Force would compensate. Palpatine's Dark Side teachings were often all that sustained him. Not today though. Today was about her -- finding her.

How is it that nothing I've experienced -- not the loss of my mother, not betrayal by the Jedi, not joining the Emperor -- has erased her from my soul? Probably nothing ever will.

That brought Vader's running to an abrupt halt, a wave of bitterness enveloping him. He could admit he loved her now -- when it was likely too late. Palpatine had surely known all along.

Vader knew he provoked his Master's suspicions repeatedly. Though he joined the Emperor with a fanatical belief in the ways of the Sith, his zeal subsided soon after the Clone Wars. He still agreed with Dark Side teachings, but something inside him had changed -- and his suddenly reflective, low-key behavior signaled that. Palpatine incessantly probed his thoughts on the matter, but Vader countered with the strongest mind shield he could muster, determined to shut him out. But from what? When was the last time he allowed himself to think of her? To miss her? It felt like an eternity. It would be an eternity...

...because Palpatine found her first. Shivers ran up his spine. Vader took off again, sprinting towards the capital city. He had no clue if she was there, but guesses were all he had to go on.

Vader's search for her had been constantly hindered by a need for secrecy. He had only found out about her by sheer coincidence. An Imperial spy discovered her on Alderaan while tracking the royal family's suspected ties to the Alliance. Ignorant of the unusual status of this particular "traitor," the agent followed protocol by alerting Imperial command before forwarding a thorough account to Palpatine. Vader happened to spot the report mere minutes before its deletion. Vader left for Alderaan immediately, but knew the stormtrooper unit had a small, crucial head start. He had no doubt what would happen to Amidala if they found her first.

Vader almost unconsciously slowed his pace. His frustration was mounting. The speed with which he ran meant little if he wasn't headed in the right direction.

Vader stretched out to her with the Force. Nothing revealed her presence to him. As upsetting as that was, he was thankful for it. Apparently, nothing had happened to her -- yet. Under normal circumstances, she kept a mind shield up for protection. Protection...from him. How ironic, given how desperate I am now to save --

Without warning, fear ripped through him and coursed through his veins. Vader barely had time to react to the sensation before it disappeared. But those few seconds were enough.

He knew they had found her.

She panicked when they first tackled her, and for an instant, her shield ha